BEAUTY AND STYLE: The cost of going natural

Long before Lupita had the world going gaga over super-cropped African hair, we already had songtress Wahu turn seemingly untended baby-locks into a super chic trend.

Many would thus assume that all it takes to rock their look is a simple wash and go. But as 26-year-old Lynette found out when she first got her short, curly afro, that was not the case.

“I thought it would only be a matter of shaving my hair and not combing it,” she says. “I was in my final year of school and an intern, so not only was I super busy but also strapped for cash. I thought this do would be cheaper and easier to manage, but not only did it take me six different products to finally settle on coconut oil, I was also surprised that it actually took longer to style than the hair I’d shaved!”

At about the same time that natural hair became a trend, sporting dreadlocks had been long embraced in mainstream culture, “Nowadays, I smile when I hear someone say that they are going to get dreadlocks because they are ‘tired’ of managing hair,” says Liz, who’s been spotting her dreadlocks for the last three years.

“As a matter of fact, dreadlocks are the last thing you should get if you do not have the time, energy and money for hair maintenance.

They are definitely not an easier way out! When I first got mine, I had to go to the dresser every two weeks for re-twists, which cost me about Sh1, 000 on every visit until they firmed up. Mind you in those first months they didn’t look very good; I actually wore a human hair wig, which cost me about Sh10, 000 until I was confident the locks didn’t look all spiky and weird.

My hair grows pretty fast, so even now I have to go to the salon every month. So it’s not like I’ve been saved from that.”

A LABOUR OF LOVE

Is it easier and cheaper than having chemically treated hair? “There’s not much difference in price,” says Liz, “but it definitely takes more time, especially in the styling thought process.

To be versatile you need to be looking out for different techniques. Let’s just say that locks require a lot of TLC(tender loving care), which translates to an emotional investment! But then again, I didn’t get locks for an easier way out. I got them because they express my identity.”

Georgina Kimani, a fashion stylist with a penchant for putting together chic afro-bohemian combinations, terms working with natural styles as “a labour of love.

Some days everything will work and on others nothing seems to cooperate. For example, before we get the hang of natural hair, most of us will have a difficult time finding products that work, especially because we have never really known our hair types,” she says.

When it comes to fashion, the definition of ‘natural’ varies; to some it could be being afro-centric, to others it could be grunge or bohemian inspirations, while to others, like 34-year-old Linda, it could be inspired by social movements. Linda tells of the day she resolved to make sure that the clothes she bought were not manufactured in a ‘sweat shop’, “It was my own form of activism against modern-day slavery,” she says.

“It’s like how some vegetarians don’t eat meat because animal slaughter is brutal. But can you imagine how hard it is to determine where and how every piece of clothing you bought came from and was made, especially here in Kenya?!

I literally didn’t have any options. It’s probably easier to do that with food, right? In the end it ended up just being a thought but I did come across this woman who sells 100 per cent cotton t-shirts, but they cost like eighty dollars a piece… so I gave up on that.” 

With her hippie agenda dying a natural death, Linda, who also a sports a short, natural afro, decided to commit to wearing more clothes by Kenyan designers, “I do that mainly because I personally know the designers and it’s good to support them. Even though they are a tad costly, they are also unique. Paying for exclusivity doesn’t hurt.”

As for the hair, Linda says she doesn’t put that much work into it, “…and because of that I realise that it looks dry. I’ve been meaning to go to this guy who I’m told is a natural hair whisperer but then I’m told every visit is Sh2, 000, so I’m still thinking about it. Meanwhile, I just plait matutas at night, undo them in the morning and sometimes I don’t even comb it.

It works for me, but I can understand why anyone would want to perm of weave their hair. Maintaining natural hair can be… a pain.”

Stylist Georgina admits that even those (cool) grungy naturalists who look as if they’ve just thrown weird items of clothing together have usually put some thought into it. “The irony in that however, is that one needs to have a natural skill at doing so. If you do it simply because it is a trend, it will eventually fade away once the trend passes. Plus, you will not be comfortable.

What really makes the look is the comfortable laid-back aura one exudes.

If it looks like you are trying too hard then you are basically like a hipster on a marketing campaign. But the most important thing here is to note that natural, in the sense of style and fashion, is not achieved by not caring about how you look.

That’s why it costs as much time as any other passion does.”

NATURAL GOES SKIN DEEP

Since the advent of barely-there nude colours, natural make-up has become a roaring phenomenon. But probably only a woman would understand why we use make-up to attain a no-make-up look. So, to ask a question only a man would, why not simply go without make-up?  “I don’t understand women,” notes 40-year-old Richard, “because I see this young girls, maybe five to 10 year olds, and they have this gorgeous long natural hair and glowing skin and then I wonder, why do women grow up and start straightening their hair and covering their beautiful, black skin with make-up?”  

When we put this question to Anna, a receptionist at an advertising agency in Nairobi, she says, “First of all, young girls are not hormonal, so they don’t have skin issues,” she laughs.

“But honestly, I would probably only go without make-up if my skin was super smooth, which it’s not.” Seven out 10 women we asked agreed that women who can afford to go without some cosmetic help usually have ‘good’ skin. Five used the term ‘being comfortable in their skin’.

So how much does it take to naturally attain a youthful vitality from the inside out? Georgina points out that for starters, make-up is not supposed to mask who you really are.

“It’s supposed to enhance your beauty. I think it’s more important to work on the skin underneath and then either go make up free or lightly accentuate some areas.”

Nancy Mumbua, a dietician and wellness consultant based in Nairobi, notes that the mark of our times is the many expensive products and cosmetics fortified with ‘extracts’ from natural sources and thus promising wondrous beauty results. “There is nothing wrong with using these products as they play an important role in keeping the outer layer of skin and hair hydrated and healthy.

However, they are too dense to effectively absorb into the inner layers. Science and experience has proven that using secondary (processed) sources does not nearly do the wonders the primary (natural) sources can. By this I mean that everything you require for inner beauty can be found in the contents of your plate. Besides, nutrients are better absorbed by the body when consumed directly from the food they naturally occur in.

So for example, it’s better to eat an avocado than to use a product with avocado extract.”

While eight of the 10 polled women admitted that the biggest impediment to them eating healthily was the lack of time and discipline to plan and prepare for the meals, six said they tried it and on top of being time-consuming, found the experiments to be too expensive.

VALUABLE, NOT EXPENSIVE

“For example,” says one of the polled women, “I started taking this evening primrose oil supplements which I was told would not only be good for my hair, skin and nails, but would also help manage PMS symptoms. A pack of 60 tablets cost me Sh2, 800 and I was taking two a day.

After two months they stopped being a priority on my shopping list and eventually they got cut off, especially because I couldn’t tell whether they were working. I opted to take yoga. My kids and I also started a vegetable and flower garden in the backyard. Both of these cost time and space – but the body and soul benefits are worth it.”

 “In terms of food costs,” Ms Mumbua concludes, “it’s really about where you are shopping.” True to the word, we came across a bag of organic rice in an up-market store that costs Sh4, 200 per kilo (believe it!) whilst a similarly wholesome kilogramme of brown rice costs about Sh300 in a ‘regular’ store.

“A natural lifestyle is not a hoity-toity affair,” says Linda. “When you think about it, how much does my grandmother, who lives a natural lifestyle up country, spend on food and clothes? Not much.”

Georgina reiterates the same point when it comes to fashion and style. “I have a few favourite high-end stores with superb minimalistic pieces but you also wouldn’t believe the quality gems I have found lying on top of a mtumba heap for Sh50 a piece! In terms of beauty products, organic tends to be more expensive because they don’t have preservatives and harmful chemicals.

They are also supposed to be made in a more ethical manner. The thing is it’s hard to tell what is authentic and what is just riding on that train. So it takes a lot of online research and trial and error... which takes commitment.” 

Whichever your definition of a natural lifestyle, be it awakened by a some kind of an inner enlightenment, a search for identity or purpose, a rebellion to the mainstream or a just a love for the trend, it takes passion, persistence and an investment on the soulful value of expression.